As Zen first came west, kensho, or satori, was the great prize. The Zen priest scholar Victor Sogen Hori tells us, “The term consists of two characters: ken, which means “see” or “seeing”, and sho, which means “nature”, “character”, “quality.” To “see one’s nature” is the usual translation for kensho.” Satori, which derives from the Japanese verb satoru, is for all practical purposes a synonym for kensho, although some suggest kensho be used for the initial insight, and satori for... Read more
Narendranath Datta was born in Calcutta on this day in 1863 into the Kayastha caste, and a professional family, his father an attorney. From childhood religion was his great obsession. Studying religion and philosophy, Eastern and Western, Narendranath earned a formal degree. He then became interested in the Hindu reform movement the Brahmo Samaj, joining a breakaway branch, the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj. He also met Sri Ramakrishna. For a time Narendranath remained more interested in the Western (and... Read more
I understand some scholars suggest that it was yesterday in the year 49 before our common era that Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon. I have no doubt with our recent election we have crossed another Rubicon. At the current moment there is a great deal of conversation going on about how to respond to what is happening. As with other spiritual traditions within our Zen communities we are torn, largely between those who feel compelled to speak out and those... Read more
Within the Anglican communion today is marked as a feast for William Laud who lost his head on this day in 1645.. I find him a very interesting person, and a pivotal figure in the formation of the Anglican tradition. I commented on him this past October on the occasion of his birthday on the 7th, some four hundred, and forty three years ago. And, I think it worth revisiting. William Laud eventually rose to the rank of Archbishop of... Read more
Jan and I, when possible, like to take in a movie on Sunday late afternoons and then go out to dinner. We seem to pull this off nearly three times a month. This Sunday we went to see Hidden Figures. In his review of Hidden Figures, Peter Debruge, the chief film critic at Variety said, approvingly that this movie is “empowerment cinema.” I looked around a bit and apparently Mr Debruge coined the phrase. I think he means by that... Read more
The Golden Door Some Brief Remarks Delivered at a Forum on Immigration & Deportation at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach 8 January 2017 James Ishmael Ford I am here to address the spirituality that informs our liberal religious community and why it calls us to engage and actively the immigration debate in this country. First, a small prologue. Back in 2010 I traveled from Rhode Island, where I was serving as minister of the First Unitarian Church... Read more
Toward the end of the year 1609 Galileo Galilei, who had been tinkering with lenses and telescopes for a while was able to improve one to a 20x magnification. He promptly turned this vastly superior telescope toward the skies. In a letter he wrote dated today, the 7th of January, 1610, he stated he had discovered three new celestial objects near Jupiter. In another day he found one more. At first he believed they were stars. But, he quickly figured... Read more
Today is the feast of the Epiphany. A wonderful celebration within the Christian tradition. And one that I as a Buddhist find worth reflecting on. Back when I was serving as a Unitarian Universalist minister I rarely missed an opportunity to visit this holiday. And, even today I continue to see value in it for all of us. There are many perspectives on our human condition, and I’ve found whatever our particular path might be, we can be enriched by... Read more
Jan and I saw La La Land on Sunday. The headline: it was a delight! Not exactly a throw back to an earlier era, but not not, either. La La Land brings tinges of musicals of days long gone. And, at the same time, it is very much a movie for our day. A pitch perfect entertainment. And we are mostly talking an entertainment. I was aware that several brief descriptions called it a “drama.” Musical. Comedy. Drama. All of... Read more
In the late nineteen sixties, caught up in the zeitgeist of the moment, as an adolescent breaking away from the strictures of my childhood, I declared myself a Fabian socialist. I can’t put an exact date for it, but it pretty much immediately preceded my declaration of non-belief in the Christian god. So, probably I was sixteen or seventeen. I note that it was today in 1884 that the Fabian Society was officially formed, although it had a bit of... Read more
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